Salvatore "Totò" Schillaci

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Salvatore "Totò" Schillaci was born in Palermo on December 1, 1964.

His first local club was AMAT Palermo but when he was 18 he moved to Messina in Serie C2 (4th tier).

He stayed seven seasons with the Giallorossi. In his first the Peloritani were promoted to C1 and in his fourth to Serie B. He played a total of 256 games and scored 77 goals. His managers included: Alfredo Ballarò (promotion to C1), Giovanni Seghedoni (former Lazio player), Franco Scoglio (promotion to B) for four seasons and Zdeněk Zeman. His teammates included former Lazio, Stefano Di Chiara (1973-76) and Schillaci's cousin, Antonio Maurizio (Lazio 1986-87). In his last season, under Zeman, Totò Schillaci was top Serie B scorer with 23 league goals and this earned him a call by Juventus.

He stayed with the Bianconeri for three seasons. The first was his best and he scored 15 league goals under Dino Zoff and Juve won the UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia. In his second, after Italia '90 and under Gigi Maifredi, he only scored 5 league goals and in his third, under Giovanni Trapattoni six league goals. Juventus finished 4th, 7th and 2nd. Schillaci played a total of 132 games with 36 goals. His teammates included Lazio connections Gigi Casiraghi (1993-98), Paolo Di Canio (1987-1990, 2004-06) and Angelo Peruzzi (2000-07).

In 1992 Juventus signed Gianluca Vialli and Schillaci left for Inter. The Nerazzurri finished 2nd under Osvaldo Bagnoli and Schillaci scored 6 league goals in 21 games. His second season was problematic for himself and Inter. After 23 matches Bagnoli was replaced by Giampiero Marini and Inter finished 13th. Schillaci only played 9 league games with 5 goals and left in April. Inter then won the UEFA Cup. He played alongside Lazio connections Rubén Sosa (1988-92) and Francesco Dell'Anno (1984-86).

In April 1994 he moved to Japan and signed a lucrative contract for Júbilo Iwata. He stayed three seasons before an injury forced him to retire. He played a total of 93 games with 65 goals and won a Japanese league title in 1997.

Schillaci officially retired at 34 but he had never really recovered from the injury he suffered at 32.

He won 16 caps for Italy with 7 goals. It was for the Italia 1990 World Cup that he will always be best remembered for. He started as reserve but came on as sub in the first game and went on to score 6 goals and was top scorer. Italy were knocked out in the semi-final on penalties by Argentina but Schillaci became a national hero. He became forever associated with the so-called "notti magiche" (magic nights) when Italy dreamt of lifting the trophy on home soil. His exploits also earned him a runner-up placing in the prestigious "Ballon d'Or" (won by Lothar Matthäus).

After retiring he opened a football academy in Palermo and was also the owner of youth football club U.S Palermo.

He also worked in show business on various television shows such as "L'isola dei famosi" and "Pechino Express" amongst others. He also had bit parts in TV series and films.

He had a spell in politics too. In 1997 he was elected as a local councillor for Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party but resigned after two years.

Schillaci was a striker. At 1.73 and 70 kilos he was not physical but based his game on speed and opportunism. He played 120 games in Serie A with 37 goals and 105 games in B with 39 goals.

It is with the national team he is mainly identified. His spirited, almost possessed eyes when scoring his goals in Italia '90 have become legendary.

Totò Schillaci died on September 18, 2024 in Palermo from a cancer relapse.

Sources

Wikipedia